A new book by a 1987 St. Lawrence alumnus promises to offer "seminal insight
into the 1999 NATO-led war over Kosovo and the negotiations that took place
between the United States and Russia in an effort to set the terms for ending
the conflict." Collision Course: NATO, Russia and Kosovo, by John
Norris '87, was published in March 2005 by Praeger Publishers.

"If Europe, Russia and international
bodies such as the U.N. and NATO end up playing a more prominent role in Iraq's
immediate future, all parties, including the United States, would do well to
revisit the lessons learned during the U.S.-led war in Kosovo in 1999," the
book's publishers state. "As a confrontation over Kosovo's final push for
independence looms, this book offers seminal insight into the negotiations
that took place between the United States and Russia in an effort to set the
terms for ending the conflict. This study in brinksmanship and deception is an
essential background for anyone trying to understand Russia's uneasy relations
with the West."

Norris is the International Crisis Group's Washington chief of staff; the
International Crisis Group is "an independent, non-profit, non-governmental
organization, with over 100 staff members on five continents, working through
field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly
conflict." Norris' responsibilities include analysis in the Balkans, Asia and
Africa. Before joining Crisis Group, he served as the director of communications
for the Deputy Secretary of State. Earlier in his career, Norris was the head
speechwriter and a field relief worker and at the U.S. Agency for International
Development. In addition, he has worked on Capitol Hill and has a graduate
degree in public administration. Norris' St. Lawrence degree is in psychology,
and he particpated in the University's program of study in Vienna.